A lithium-ion secondary battery (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as a “battery”) has characteristics that it has a higher energy density than other secondary batteries and can be operated at a high voltage. Therefore, it is used for information devices such as cellular phones as it can be easily reduced in size and weight; and nowadays there is an increasing demand for the lithium-ion secondary battery to be used as a power source for large-scale apparatuses such as electric vehicles and hybrid vehicles.
The lithium-ion secondary battery has a cathode layer and an anode layer (a pair of electrode layers), and an electrolyte layer disposed therebetween. For example, a non-aqueous liquid substance or a solid substance is known to be used as an electrolyte in the electrolyte layer. When a liquid electrolyte (hereinafter referred to as an “electrolytic solution”) is used, it permeates into the cathode layer and the anode layer easily. Therefore, an interface can be formed easily between the electrolytic solution and the active material contained in the cathode layer and the anode layer, and the battery performance can be improved easily. However, since commonly used electrolytic solutions are flammable, it is necessary to mount a system to ensure safety. On the other hand, since solid electrolytes are nonflammable, the above system can be simplified. As such, a lithium-ion secondary battery having a layer containing the nonflammable solid electrolyte has been suggested (hereinafter, the layer is referred to as a “solid electrolyte layer” and the battery is referred to as a “solid battery”.).
As a technique related to such a battery, Patent Document 1 for example discloses a non-aqueous secondary battery wherein an end face of a cathode active material layer is coated with an aggregation layer of insulating material particles; the cathode active material layer is formed in such a size that it does not overhang an anode active material layer paired therewith as a cell layer; and a separator interposed between the cathode active material layer and the anode active material layer is the aggregation layer of insulating material particles formed by bonding insulating material particles to each other by a binder and fixed to at least one of a cathode and an anode, and is disposed so as to cover at least an entire surface of the cathode active material layer opposed to the anode and so as not to overhang an end face of a current collector. In addition, Patent Document 2 discloses a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery wherein a resin permeation part formed by permeation of a nonionic permeable resin is arranged on an outer perimeter of an electrode reaction part effective for electrochemical reaction, in a planar direction of a cathode active material layer or an anode active material layer; and a peripheral edge of the electrode reaction part in the cathode active material layer matches or is positioned inside a peripheral edge of the electrode reaction part in the anode active material layer. Patent Document 2 also discloses a configuration in which an adhesion layer made of the nonionic permeable resin is arranged outside the cathode active material layer and/or the anode active material layer.